Finger hold detail for article group carriers and method and apparatus for forming same

ABSTRACT

An article group carrier formed from webs connected to define a plurality of single article supporting loops arranging the articles in a pair of side-by-side rows. The centermost of the side-by-side loops have the webs forming the same partly slitted transversely, and also have such loops joined along a length thereof, so that upon tensioning of the side-by-side loops about the centermost of the article, elements are presented which enable the digits of the hand to extend in contact therewith in what may be considered an operation akin to grappling to transport the article group. The invention herein also comprehends an improved method and apparatus for forming carriers of the kind described in the foregoing abstract, such method resulting in a carrier having finger holds as described.

United States Patent 1 [111 3,738,69 Helms June 12, 1973 FINGER HOLD DETAIL FOR ARTICLE Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blunk GROUP CARRIERS AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SAME Assistant Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry Attorney-Carpenter, Ostis & Lindberg 57 ABSTRACT An article group carrier formed from webs connected to define a plurality of single article supporting loops arranging the articles in a pair of side-by-side rows. The centermost of the side-by-side loops have the webs forming the same partly slitted transversely, and also have such loops joined along a length thereof, so that upon tensioning of the side-by-side loops about the centermost of the article, elements are presented which enable the digits of the hand to extend in contact therewith in what may be considered an operation akin to grappling to transport the article group.

The invention herein also comprehends an improved method and apparatus for forming carriers of the kind described in the foregoing abstract, such method resulting in a carrier having finger holds as described.

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FINGER HOLD DETAIL FOR ARTICLE GROUP CARRIERS AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SAME THE PRIOR ART This type of carrier lends itself to being formed in apparatus of the type disclosed in Chidsey application 3 1 ,520, filed Apr. 24, 1970, Method and Apparatus for Forming Article Carriers, and Walter application, Ser. No. 44336, filed June 8, 1970 entitled: Apparatus and Method for Forming Article Carriers, and Chidsey application Ser. No. 22222, filed Mar. 24, 1970, Method and Apparatus for Forming Carriers for Grouped Articles.

This invention is particularly directed to improvements in carriers for article groups such as canned beverages known in the trade as 6-packs.

Carriers of this type are formed from webs of thermoplastic resinous material capable of being adhered upon the application of heat. These materials also have memory characteristics, so that loops formed therefrom may be stretched about a discrete article of the article grO P, the memory characteristics of the resin enabling the article to be held tightly within such loops.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The structure, and apparatus for forming same, according to the present invention constitutes an improvement over the prior art in that the resulting article group carrier is provided with structure enabling the same to be readily transported, such structure enabling the carrier to be transported by the digits of a hand acting as a grapple.

The invention herein also relates to an improvement in methods for forming carriers of the general type whereby the carrier formed is provided with finger holes for transport of the loaded carrier.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article group carrier according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a group of articles loaded therein;

FIG. 2 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4; is an elevational view looking in the direction of the arrows 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another form of carrier according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of still another form of carrier;

FIG. 9 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 99 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing apparatus particularly adapted for forming the carrier of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view to an enlarged scale showing how the webs forming the carrier are joined; and

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing how the joined webs of FIG. 11 are unfolded to form the article carrier of FIG. 8.

The improved article group carrier according to one embodiment of the present invention is denoted generally by the reference numeral 10, and is adapted to hold a plurality of similar articles such as a group of beverage containers C in a predetermined arrangement. The containers C are arranged in a pair of side-by-side rows, there being three in each row, the assembly being known in the trade as a six-pack.

Article group carrier 10 comprises a plurality of generally tube-like elements 11, these being formed from a pair of confronting inner webs 12 and outer webs 13 secured to the inner webs 12. Confronting inner webs 12 are joined at points of conjugacy by welds 14 seen in FIG. 4. Each of the inner confronting webs 12 is joined to a correlative outer web 13 by welds 16, these being formed as seen in the aforesaid Chidsey application Ser. No. 31520 and the Walter application to provide with the weldments 14 a plurality of connected supporting loops 15, each of said loops being adapted to embrace a container C tightly therein.

The centermost of the side-by-side article loops 15 are additionally joined at a top weld 17 along the top edges of confronting webs l2 thereat, extending to each side of the joining weldments 14 of the centermost loops 12. Each of the webs 12 is notched as at 18 between an end of the top weld l7 and the welds 16 to each side of the centermost container C, the notch 18 being coterminous with an essentially transverse extending slit 19. Slit l9 terminates in a slit extension 21 therefrom extending to a point essentially midway of the width of the web 12.

When the loops 15 of the article carrier 10 are stretched about containers C, portions 22 of the confronting webs 12 at the centermost containers C are deformed from the sides of the container C to cause the surfaces thereof to diverge to each side of the top weld 17. The diverging surfaces 22 are joined between end portions of the top weld 117, and together define structure for engagement by the digits of a hand, so that the loaded article carrier 10 may be readily transported.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 7, there is shown another embodiment of an article group carrier denoted generally by the reference numeral 30. It, like the structure seen in FIGS. 1 to 4 is adapted to hold a plurality of similar articles such as a group of beverage containers C in predetermined arrangement. Containers C are arranged in side-by-side rows, there being three in each row.

Article group carrier 30 comprises a plurality of generally tube-like elements 31 these being formed from a pair of confronting inner webs 32 and outer webs 33 secured to the inner webs 32. The latter webs 32 are joined at the endmost portions thereof by welds 34, similar to those seen in FIG. 4. Each of the inner confronting webs 32 is joined to a correlative outer web 33 by welds 36, these being formed as seen in the aforesaid Chidsey application Ser. No. 31520 and the Walter application to provide a plurality of connected article supporting loops 35, each of said loops being adapted to embrace a container C tightly therein.

1 The centermost of the side-by-side article loops 35 are joined in such a fashion so as to provide structure for engagement by the digits of the hand, so that the loaded article carrier 30 may be readily transported. Such structure is denoted by the reference numeral 35A, and in forming same the confronting webs 32 of the center-most containers C are joined by an essentially triangular shaped weld 37, it extending substantially to the middle of the confronting webs 32 at the centermost containers C. The provision of the weld 37 and the stretching of the loop 35 about the centermost containers provides a pair of web faces 38 to each side of the weld 37, the faces 38 enabling the container group to be readily transported as described.

Referring now to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, there is shown another embodiment of the article group carrier denoted generally by the reference numeral 40. It comprises a plurality of generally tube-like elements 41, these being formed from a pair of confronting inner webs 42 and outer webs 43 joined to the inner web 42 at their points of conjugacy between the containers C. The loops 41 comprised of the webs 42 and 43 are welded at 46 between the points of conjugacy of the containers C of a given row.

The endmost containers of a given row are joined to the endmost containers of an opposite row by a web 42A formed by apparatus seen in FIGS. 11 to 12. The innermost containers C are joined by a transverse web TW also formed by the apparatus seen in FIGS. 11 and 12. The provision of the transverse web TW provides structure whereby the loaded article carrier 40 may be readily transported by grappling the area TW by the digits of the hand.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, there is shown structure 50 for forming article carrier 40 seen in FIGS. 8 to inclusive. Web supplies WS1 and WS2 respectively supply webs W1 and W2. Each of the webs W1 and W2 is formed from a resinous film having memory characteristics, and web W1 is advanced by feed rollers 51 and 52, rollers 52 advancing web W1 at a rate faster than feed rollers 51, thereby stretching web W1 slightly. In the same fashion web W2 is stretched by feed rollers 54 turning at a rate faster than 53. Stretching of the webs W1 and W2 makes use of the memory characteristics thereof to form tight loops about the containers C.

Web Wl forms the outer web elements 43, and web W2 forms the inner confronting web elements 42. They are advanced by the feed rollers 52 and 54 in the superimposed relationship seen in FIG. 11, ultimately to be stored upon a storage reel STR whence they are subsequently cut into discrete article carriers and placed about the containers C as disclosed in Chidsey application Ser. No. 22222 previously referred to.

It may be noted that stretching of the webs is preferably employed when discrete article carriers are formed and immediately placed about an article group. If the storage reel STR is employed the stretching step by rollers 52 need not be employed.

Web W1 is slit longitudinally by a rotating slitter knife SKl into a pair of side-by-side web elements 43. Web W2 is intermittently slitted by a segmented rotating slitter knife ISK to define intermittent slits IS which define inner web elements 42 joined by connecting web 42A. The operation of the segmented slitter knife ISK also defines a transverse web TW defined by transverse slits TS and by curved cut lines 44 at the ends thereof.

Such transverse slits TS in the web W2 are formed by a transverse slitter knife TSK which cooperates with an anvil roller AR.

After the webs W1 and W2 are slitted in the manner aforesaid they are fed between a pair of cooperating sealing rollers SR1 and SR2, each having sealing lands SL thereon which form transverse seals 46 at intervals along the superimposed webs W1 and W2 to define the loops 41.

When the webs are removed from the storage reel STR they may be acted upon by the apparatus seen in Chidsey application Ser. No. 22222 to provide the article carrier 40 seen in FIG. 13. As seen in said Figure, the article container is then comprised of the inner and outer webs 42 and 43 which are connected by the webs 42A and TW. The latter affords a convenient handhold as seen in FIG. 9.

I claim:

1. In an article group carrier for holding a plurality of similar articles such as chimed end cans arranged in a pair of side-by-side longitudinally extending rows:

a. said carrier being formed from a plurality of webs formed from a complaint, flexible, resinous material having memory characteristics.

b. said webs being joined to define a plurality of gen erally tube-like elements encircling each article adjacent the chime thereof in the form of an article supporting loop;

0. each of said loops being arranged to hold said articles in a pair of side-by-side rows;

(1. structure at the centermost of said tube-like elements for maintaining said centermost elements in connected relationship and for providing surfaces for engagement by the digits of a human hand acting as a grapple to lift articles held within said elements;

e. said centermost elements being partly slit transversely thereof at the end where said elements are connected together.

2. In an article group carrier for holding a plurality of similar articles such as chimed end cans arranged in a pair of side-by-side longitudinally extending rows:

a. said carrier being formed from a plurality of webs formed from a complaint, flexible, resinous material having memory characteristics;

b. said webs being joined to define a plurality of generally tube-like elements encircling each article adjacent the chime thereof in the form of an article supporting loop;

c. each of said loops being arranged to hold said articles in a pair of side-by-side rows;

d. structure at the centermost of said loops for maintaining said centermost loops in connected relationship and for providing surfaces for engagement by the digits of a human hand acting as a grapple to lift articles held within said loops;

e. the centermost of said loops being connected by integral webs defined by transversely extending slits formed in said centermost loops. 

1. In an article group carrier for holding a plurality of similar articles such as chimed end cans arranged in a pair of side-by-side longitudinally extending rows: A. said carrier being formed from a plurality of webs formed from a complaint, flexible, resinous material having memory characteristics. b. said webs being joined to define a plurality of generally tube-like elements encircling each article adjacent the chime thereof in the form of an article supporting loop; c. each of said loops being arranged to hold said articles in a pair of side-by-side rows; d. structure at the centermost of said tube-like elements for maintaining said centermost elements in connected relationship and for providing surfaces for engagement by the digits of a human hand acting as a grapple to lift articles held within said elements; e. said centermost elements being partly slit transversely thereof at the end where said elements are connected together.
 2. In an article group carrier for holding a plurality of similar articles such as chimed end cans arranged in a pair of side-by-side longitudinally extending rows: a. said carrier being formed from a plurality of webs formed from a complaint, flexible, resinous material having memory characteristics; b. said webs being joined to define a plurality of generally tube-like elements encircling each article adjacent the chime thereof in the form of an article supporting loop; c. each of said loops being arranged to hold said articles in a pair of side-by-side rows; d. structure at the centermost of said loops for maintaining said centermost loops in connected relationship and for providing surfaces for engagement by the digits of a human hand acting as a grapple to lift articles held within said loops; e. the centermost of said loops being connected by integral webs defined by transversely extending slits formed in said centermost loops. 